Woah Woah Woah buddy. Gaudreau does not get traded for actual assets of interest. He's a negative value at that contract. Retain 2.5M, trade a 1st WITH him, and maybe a team will consider.

Gaudreau had 12 goals this year. He also probably went to Columbus because no one else was giving him that ridiculous contract, and theres now less interest in him than 2 years ago

The answer is no. That money has to go to a free agent probably, not someone that costs assets. Not to mention the devils need a goaltender that they need to spend actual assets on. The devils have no room for a big money forward given the upcoming extensions required for Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.

I'll save everyone the effort of replying.

The Jersey fans will be extremely mean to you and derisive. Nicknames like "littke Johnny" will be used. Not quite Canes fans reacting to any trade where they tell you they wouldn't touch that player you're proposing sending to them with someone else's 100-ft pole, but pretty close. Gaudreau might be worth another team's fourth rounder to them. Maybe. But even then, he doesn't make sense because they already have one tiny floating playmaker in their top six, and theirs plays center and is a better skater.

Philly fans will probably be happy to unload Atkinson, whom they hate, and Johansen, whom they don't need. They will be big mad about trading a first, though, even if it's not their own and could well be 32nd overall. They're also very obviously rebuilding and it was only by the grace of Torts and Sean Walker that they didn't finish behind Columbus in the standings. They managed to let Jackets defensemen score six goals on them near the end of the season. They're in an even worse spot than Columbus with regard to being truly competitive any time soon.

Both of those groups will point to the most surface level possible stats to say that Gaudreau is a useless waste of space who's totally washed and headed for the retirement home (which is what a garbage heap like Columbus is anyway, being a barren wasteland at every level with no prospect pool or picks or talent anywhere to speak of).

Columbus fans will say there's no way in hell either Atkinson or Johansen would be welcomed back without sweeteners, and especially not for Gaudreau. They will rightly point out that he was still a top-100 5v5 player in the league despite having literally no one to play with. A playmaker without a finisher is just a guy stranded on the ice. And that's not even mentioning the fact Columbus only has the second-worst power play in the league because John Tortorella coaches somewhere else, which means every single Jackets player's point totals are supressed because they're not getting anything on the PP. As with any discussion of trading Laine because money, there's no pressure on Columbus's cap. They don't need to make a move just to make a move. Gaudreau is still the best player on the team (except maybe Werenski, who somehow managed to finish the year with 57 points an even +/- as a defenseman on a bottom-four team with no PP and a collective -63).

No deal for any of the teams involved.

If you were to retain like 3 million you could probably pull a 2025 first and a B/C prospect from somewhere but that contract should scare the hell out of any GM in the league and they aren’t going to touch the contract as is unless they are extreeeeemely desperate or have an absurd amount of rope to play with in the control of their franchise

Neither of these teams wanted him when he was free agent at $9.75m...hard to imagine they would be trading for him now.

Maybe Calgary?

This made me laugh lol

To summarize more quickly than @squashmaple, whose reply is comprehensive: no, absolutely not.

Even if Columbus had an appetite to move him, you'd have to convince JG to waive a full NMC which he took presumably to have stability, which is going to be a no.

Shipping out the biggest UFA the franchise has ever landed 2 years in with 5 years remaining because "oh boo hoo bad team in a retool is bad" is such a bad look/loser mentality. We're probably no more than 2 years away from actually competing if we just hold and play our cards right.

He's happy. He's fine. He'll still be a significant part of the team in a couple years when the majority of the players on the roster actually have a fully-developed prefrontal cortex.

Jackets have absolutely zero interest in trading Johnny. They don’t value him as a negative asset. I’d be pretty pissed if they traded him even for future considerations. Despite his numbers dipping he’s still playing great especially after the all star break where he was a PPG. If he gets some quality linemates he will be back over a PPG. The idea they would retain and attach a first to him to trade him is hilarious

I dont make the rules. 9M for a 65 point player does.

LOL if its Atkinson, Johansen and Floridas first that gets it done, send him to Philly tomorrow.

The guy that was tied for 12th most 5v5 primary assists in the entire league while playing on a bottom feeder has negative value? Go figure.

The only thing I'd add to this is that I wouldn't object to bringing back Atkinson personally, but that's because I love him dearly and I miss him. The team, however, ought to be taking a position similar to what you've described.

If he could skate and didn't make six million dollars a year, amybe. But he skates like the ice is mud, and more importantly, needs a middle six wing spot that the Jackets very much do not have. He can sign a cheapo retire-a-Jacket feel-good contract when this one ends. Til then, extremely not interested.

but but but my attaboy

This is my favorite post I have ever seen from you god it’s so true. Thinking JG is negative value because someone only looks at the scoresheet and doesn’t realize all his points is primary assist which means he’s getting smothered out there on the ice. It’s no different than when lebron entered the league and before he got a decent supporting staff around him in Cleveland was constantly tripled teamed because their opponents respected lebron’s skill that much and disrespected the rest of the team